West Babine Sustainable Resource Management Plan

juniper (Juniperus communis) (Gottesfeld and Anderson 1988). The Gitxsan are hesitant to
provide detail around specific locations for medicinal plants, fearing that the plants may then be
exploited for commercial use.
The Kispiox LRMP contains the following objectives for the management of botanical forest
products:
to maintain and use botanical forest products, including wild berries;
to maintain mushroom resources and provide opportunities for sustainable harvesting of
mushrooms; and
to maintain sites that are important for production of traditional medicinal plants.
3.3.6.1 Mushrooms
The harvesting of forest mushrooms is an important activity for the Gitxsan, as well as other
local residents. The Gitxsan harvest not only pine mushroom, but up to 13 various mushroom
species. Commercial gathering of forest mushrooms in the northwest has been increasing over
the past 20 years. Commercial species harvested include pine mushrooms, morels, boletus and
chanterelles. Pine mushrooms are the most significant commercial species due to a high demand
in Japanese markets. The species (Tricholoma magnivelare) found in the northwest is closely
related to the matsutake (Tricholoma matsutake), which is highly valued in Japan.
A 1998 study by Kranabetter et al (2000) found that highly productive pine mushroom habitat is
frequently found in mature forest stands (80 – 200 years old) with a submesic soil moisture
regime and poor–medium soil nutrient regime. In the West Babine, high value habitat occurs in
the 01b phase of ICHmc1 and ICHmc2 subzones. The 01b site series is dominated by Western
hemlock with a minor component of lodgepole pine and stepmosses. In the West Babine, this site
series occurs in the Shedin and lower Sam Green watersheds. Approximately 339 ha of pine
mushroom habitat have been identified in the plan area, which represents approximately 1.2 per
cent of the total ICH zone (Freisen, 2002).
There are no estimates of the number of people harvesting mushrooms in the area or the dollar
value of the mushrooms harvested.
Management direction for pine mushrooms
Due to the small amount of mushroom habitat in the plan area, management direction is focused
mainly on maintaining a portion of mushroom habitat in productive age classes.
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